Scheelite is highly sought after by collectors for its brilliant blue fluorescence under short-wave UV light, which is a key diagnostic feature. It typically occurs as sharp bipyramidal crystals in skarn deposits formed by the contact metamorphism of limestone with igneous intrusions.
Is this scheelite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch scheelite with a known reference. Scheelite sits at Mohs 4.5-5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Scheelite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Scheelite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, yellow, brown, orange, colorless.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: bipyramidal crystals, granular, massive.
Often confused with
Scheelite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Quartz is the harder of the two (Mohs 7 vs. 4.5-5).
How to tell apart: Scheelite is noticeably harder (Mohs 4.5-5 vs. 3).
How to tell apart: Scheelite is noticeably harder (Mohs 4.5-5 vs. 3.5); luster reads vitreous on Scheelite and adamantine on Powellite.
Often found alongside scheelite
Minerals reported to co-occur with scheelite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- CaWO₄
- Mohs hardness
- 4.5-5
- Density
- 5.9-6.1 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Bipyramidal Crystals, Granular, Massive
- Cleavage
- Distinct On {101}
- Fluorescence
- Bright Sky-blue or Yellowish-white Under SW UV
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Ore of Tungsten, Collector, Fluorescent Specimens
- Host rock
- Skarns, Hydrothermal Veins, Granite Pegmatites
- Typical price
- $10-100 thumbnail, $50-500 cabinet
Where rockhounds find scheelite
20 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- China
- Austria
- South Korea
- USA
- Mexico
U.S. states with scheelite
Each link opens a state-specific list of mapped rockhounding spots that produce scheelite.
Field-hunting tip
Look in skarns, hydrothermal veins, granite pegmatites country — that is the host setting where scheelite typically forms. If you start seeing fluorite, molybdenite, cassiterite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a bipyramidal crystals, granular, massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Utah, Montana, Maine — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify scheelite?+
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Find scheelite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
